


Cosmonaut

by Venator77



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-12-09
Updated: 2017-01-10
Packaged: 2018-09-07 11:08:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,313
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8798521
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Venator77/pseuds/Venator77
Summary: The Nazis won World War II and took over all of Europe and North America. 20 years later, they capture a Yugoslav Partizan named Janko Šerić and use him as an unwilling test subject in the Nazi space program. Janko is blasted off to space, where a wormhole sends him to a galaxy far, far, away... (Warning, Sporadic Updates. Eventual Ahsoka/OC)





	1. Chapter One

June 8th, 1966

Occupied Yugoslavia

The wind and rain lashed against the armed men as they exchanged gunfire with the grey uniformed soldiers in the streets of Zagreb. The communist Partizans were active again, ambushing a German patrol a few hours after curfew. It has been 20 years since the Nazis defeated their enemies in World War II. The once great armies of communism and democracy were reduced to a handful of partisans in Yugoslavia, the Soviet Union, and the United States of America. Most of Europe was under Nazi control with Italy controlling the rest. It was a dark 20 years for many, seeing as Jews, homosexuals, and Russian Slavs were virtually non-existent.

The gunfight in Zagreb left five German soldiers dead for two Partizans. The rest of the insurgents retreated into the dark alleyways, their hit and run complete. Janko Šerić was one of those Partizans. His set up against the German patrol worked splendidly. Discarding his gun as he ran, Janko ducked into an alley and kept running, changing direction at every turn. He eventually reached the streets and slowed down. But luck wasn't on his side tonight. Turning left out of an alley, Janko managed to run into a battalion of German troops.

'Jebem ti mater! Just the typical Slavic luck.' The 21 year old Croat thought as he surrendered to the battalion, who raised their weapons.

'Just my typical luck.'

-o0o-

Janko's solitude in jail did not last long. An SS officer stomped in, grinning cruelly.

"Congratulations, communist scum. You have been chosen to participate in our space program. You'll be blasted off into space for our education of astronomy." The officer said. "Of course, the only way you'll survive is if we or the Japanese decide to pick you up from the ocean."

Janko, intrigued, know enough about the Germans to understand that this isn't normal.

"When?"

The SS officer no longer smiled, adopting the standard sneer Janko sees on most German faces.

"Three days. Until then, you get to think how lucky you are that you weren't immediately shot or sent to the camps." The German said before marching out.

-o0o-

It was the worst day in Ahsoka's life. The betrayal of Barriss and the Jedi Order hurt her more than any war wounds. She might have been cleared of all charges, but her trust in the Jedi and the Republic were forever lost. The Clone Wars for her is over. Ahsoka snorted in derision at the thought of the Separatists and the Republic. Both are corrupted governments full of greedy politicians.

As Ahsoka walked away from the Jedi Temple, she heard a shout from behind her.

"Ahsoka! Wait! Hold on!"

It was Anakin shouting for his former apprentice to stop.

"Anakin?" Ahsoka asked. Anakin caught up with her, holding two boxes.

"If you are going to survive out there in the galaxy, then you should at least have a means of transport and defense." He said with a sad smile. Ahsoka opened both boxes, one carrying her lightsabers and the other enough credits to buy a second-hand ship.

"I imagine you would want to leave Coruscant after everything that has happened." Anakin continued.

"Thank you. Thank you very much." Ahsoka said. "I will never forget you."

"Same here."

Ahsoka turned away and continued her long walk down.

-o0o-

The three days had passed since Janko was captured. On the last day, two soldiers came in and escorted him out of the cell. After several hours of travelling, Janko arrived in Baykonur, Kazakhstan, where the rocket to space awaited 10 kilometers ahead. The soldiers forced Janko to walk the whole way, and after three hours, they arrived at the launch pad. The rocket was all white except for the Nazi flag emblazoned on its side.

"In the elevator." One soldier ordered as he and Janko stepped in. The other stood guard at the entrance to the elevator. The elevator took the pair to the rocket's life module.

"In." The German said curtly. "Strap yourself in. I will close the hatch."

Janko climbed through the hatch and into the cramped space inside. The interior of the life module was almost bare, except for the seat, a few small windows, and a dashboard containing a few gauges. Once the Partizan was inside, the German shut the hatch and sealed it. Janko strapped himself into the seat, contemplating his fate.

"T-minus 10 minutes." The launch pad's intercom system announced. People and equipment began moving away quickly as the countdown continued. 10 seconds remained when all was clear.

"T-minus ten, nine, eight…" The intercom counted down. Janko sighed and looked out the window to see the flat featureless landscape that surrounded the launch pad.

'At least I'll be off this fascist-controlled hunk of rock, even if I die.' Janko thought as the countdown reach zero and the rocket fired its engines for lift off. Being without a G-suit, Janko struggled to keep himself awake as the G-forces increased. But just before the rocket reached space, he lost consciousness.

Just as he did, the rocket broke out of the Earth's gravity field, entering space. The rocket continued to accelerate as the engines kept going until they finally flamed out. Janko, having no control of the rocket nor being awake to have it if he did, could not prevent it from flying right into a wormhole, which appeared right then and there. The German scientists back on the planet tried everything to save their rocket, but it was too far gone and began to break up.

"That's the fifth rocket we lost to that stupid thing." One scientist said. "Der Führer isn't happy with our repeated losses."

"Someone's going to get executed for this." Another said. "May God have mercy on that poor man in the rocket."

-o0o-

Ahsoka bought a heavily modified YT-1300 freighter named the Millennium Falcon once she reached Coruscant's spaceport. The previous owner of the Falcon won it in a podracing bet, but already owned a ship, so he saw no use for it. After paying the former owner, Ahsoka blasted off to space. Dodging the Republic fleet in orbit, she jumped to hyperspace, heading for Tatooine.

Three days into the five-day journey, the Falcon's obstacle warning sounded, forcing the Corellian freighter out of hyperspace.

'Don't be a black hole.' Ahsoka thought as the blue tunnel of hyperspace gave way to the black expanse of realspace. To her relief, the obstacle turned out of be a debris field. Ahsoka's relief gave way to curiosity. The debris field looks like the remains of a large missile.

"What's this thing doing out here in the middle of nowhere?" Ahsoka muttered to herself. She scanned the debris for any signs of activity and was surprised to find a lifeform in the biggest chunk. It looked like an escape pod, but without the booster engines that escape pods usually have. Ahsoka carefully piloted the freighter closer to the life module and saw a young human man strapped inside. Intrigued, Ahsoka activated the Falcon's equipped tractor beam to get the pod inside. Once the pod was inside the miniature hangar, Ahsoka left the cockpit and headed there. Once she reached the pod, Ahsoka looked for an entrance, but could not find it. It was well hidden for something so… primitive.

The former Jedi activated her lightsaber and cut a hole open before unstrapping the man from the seat and pulling him out. He began to stir before waking up. He looked around before starting to speak in a foreign language Ahsoka didn't understand.

"I don't understand what you are saying. Can you speak Basic?" Ahsoka asked carefully. The young man gave Ahsoka a slight look of revulsion.

"You speak German? Damn it, I had enough of Germans." The man said, switching languages. "Where am I? Am I dead?"

"Hold on, one question at a time." Ahsoka said. "But first, who are you?"

The man paused considering his response.

"My name is Janko Šerić. I was a Yugoslav Partizan before I got captured by my enemies and blasted off to space."

-o0o-

Upon telling Ahsoka that, Janko started to have flashbacks. He remembered his teary-eyed mother giving birth to him in that small village near Županja, his mother hiding him before she was taken by the Nazis, the group of Partizans that found his six year old self crying for his mother, his trip to the former Soviet Union to learn the ideology of communism from the Soviet resistance group known as the NKVD, the many espionage missions, and finally his capture. Janko remembered everything that happened for the past twenty years thanks to his gift in photographic memory. Then he burst into tears.

"Are you okay?" Ahsoka asked worriedly.

"You have no idea of all the shit I've been through my entire life. Nothing but experiencing the fascist oppression and fighting it at every turn." Janko choked. Ahsoka's heart went out to the young human.

"I am almost 17 years old and I have seen things most people are lucky not to see for their entire lives." Ahsoka said. "I fought in a war where I thought I knew who the enemy were. And then, I almost get executed for a crime I got framed for. Fuck me, right?"

The pair walked slowly in the Falcon's corridor.

"Who are you?" Janko asked. "What are you? You don't look like a normal person to me."

"I'm guessing you have never left your planet before?" Ahsoka asked. Janko affirmed her guess.

"Well, my name is Ahsoka Tano. I was a Jedi Padawan before I left the Jedi Order because of my trial. It might surprise you, but I'm not exactly a human. I'm a Togruta, a species of human-like people who are mostly hunters." Ahsoka said. Janko looked at her with wonder.

"What are these?" Janko asked, touching Ahsoka's lekku. She let out an involuntary giggle before shifting away.

"That's my lekku." She said nervously. "Don't touch, it's very sensitive."

Janko gave a thoughtful look before withdrawing his hand. Ahsoka felt apprehensive about Janko's future intentions, but brushed it off for later.

"My turn." She said. "What happened to your planet?"

Janko's face fell, steeling himself for the story.

"It all began 30 years ago. My planet was divided into local governments called countries. Adolf Hitler was the fascist dictator of Germany, one of the more powerful countries on Earth, my planet. He invaded a bunch of small countries, which caused his enemies, Britain and France, to declare war on him. But Germany was known for producing some of the greatest strategists on the planet, with the likes of Heinz Guderian and Erwin Rommel leading the German armies. The Germans crushed both Britain and France, leaving half of Europe, one of the continents, under his iron fist. Then he invaded my country, Yugoslavia. And then Greece, Bulgaria, Hungary, and Romania. In two years, the only country in Europe that could hope to stop Hitler was Soviet Russia. But Hitler invaded them too and won in another two years. During the war with Russia, Japan, a German ally, attacked the naval fleet of the United States, bring them into the war. After Russia lost, Germany partook in the largest naval invasion in history. Four million soldiers landed in the US East Coast, where three years of bitter fighting secured Nazi victory. No one could hope to defeat the Axis Alliance now that both the communist and democracy major powers were defeated. Thus, I spent most of my life in the Partizans, the communist resistance group in my home country." Janko explained. "And then I got captured and blasted off to space as a test subject."

Ahsoka could not possibly feel any worse. This person has seen and done a lot for his entire life while she only experienced two and a half years of interplanetary conflict. Force, this guy seen more things than she has!

"Oh the Force! I'm so sorry for what you've been through. It must have been very difficult to be born in a world of oppression." Ahsoka said.

"Especially when you have photographic memory, where's its impossible to forget anything no matter how hard I try." Janko replied. "Being unable to forget the deaths of your comrades is depressing."

Ahsoka sent waves of reassurance and calm to Janko, who relaxed. However, his sharp mind immediately noticed the change.

"Are you doing that. Ahsoka?" Janko asked. "That feels a little unnatural."

If Ahsoka had eyebrows, she would've raised one of them.

"How did you know I was sending soothing feelings to you through the Force?" Ahsoka said. "Only a Force-sensitive would be able to know if another is sending emotional support."

"I don't know. What is the Force?" Janko asked. Ahsoka gave him the explanation that most Jedi are taught.

"That explains so much." Janko said.

"How so?" Ahsoka wondered.

"When I was little, I used the make objects fly. My mother was terrified that the Nazis would burst in and take me away for experimentation." Janko said, Ahsoka wincing at the last part. "Next, when I was 14, I went to the former Soviet Union to study communism under the Soviet resistance group named the NKVD. The Nazis had just nabbed a bunch of young peasant women and I got angry. I wanted to strangle these soldiers for their treachery and wished death upon them for what they were going to do to these poor women. Strangely enough, all the soldiers started choking until they died. It was weird as I wondered if there was such thing as God and he responded to my wish. These were the two major incidents that stuck to me. There were also other instances where I would run unnaturally fast or jump unnaturally high, so much so that my comrades believed I was superhuman."

Ahsoka stood in the corridor surprised, amazed, but also a little disturbed. She without a doubt believed that Janko is a Force-sensitive, a powerful one at that.

"I need to test your blood. I want to know how much midi-chlorians you have in your body." Ahsoka said, going to the infirmary and taking out a blood sampler. She went back to Janko and gave him the sampler.

"Just prick your finger on the slit." Ahsoka instructed. Janko did so, allowing the sampler to analyze it. A ding was heard to signal completion.

"Not bad." Ahsoka said, looking at the numbers. "You have enough midi-chlorians to rival some of the Masters on the Jedi Council. No wonder you think you are superhuman. You are a Force-sensitive."

"Will you teach me how to use the Force?" Janko asked.

"I will teach you everything you should know to the best of my ability." Ahsoka said. "Including how to use a lightsaber."

Ahsoka took out her lightsaber and activated it, showing the young Partizan the green blade in all its splendor. He looked starry eyed.

"That's some weapon." He exclaimed.

"I agree. Lightsabers can cut through almost anything and can deflect blaster bolts. Especially useful in times of war like this." Ahsoka replied.

"War?"

"Oh. Right now the galaxy is in a state of warfare between the Republic and the Separatists. Rumors are circulating that the war is almost over." The former Jedi explained. "Now earlier you have made multiple mentions of communism. What is it?"

Janko smiled.

"It is a political ideology on the far left of the political spectrum. It's kind of hard to explain, so I have a book by the man who created it, explaining everything about communism." He said, taking out a small copy of Karl Marx's Communist Manifesto. The Yugoslav offered the book to Ahsoka, who took it. A series of beeps began, signaling an incoming transmission. Ahsoka and Janko went to the cockpit, where Ahsoka answered the call. It was the Mandalorian Bo Katan, looking surprisingly fearful.

"Ahsoka? Is that you?" She asked quickly, looking around as if someone was after her.

"Bo Katan? What's going on?" Ahsoka asked cautiously. She still didn't trust the former member of Death Watch.

"Maul is in a state of uncontrollable rage. He's terrorizing the planet ever since his brother was murdered by a mysterious robed figure a few weeks back." Bo said. "For the sake of Mandalore's safety, we need him removed."

"Okay, I'm on my way." Ahsoka said. She punched in the coordinates to Mandalore and set the autopilot. The Millennium Falcon shifted its path and jumped into hyperspace.

TBC...


	2. Chapter Two

"I can't read this." Ahsoka said, looking through the book. "All of the letters are unfamiliar."

"Oh. I forgot. It's in my native language. Get something to record this." Janko said, taking back the Marx book. Ahsoka left the cockpit and went to find a datapad. A few moments later, Ahsoka returned with a datapad. Janko opened the book to the first page.

"Are you ready?" Janko asked. Ahsoka fiddled with the datapad before nodding. Then, Janko began to read out of the Communist Manifesto. Ahsoka recorded the words as Janko spoke. Going through the book took time, but they finished just before arriving to Mandalore. Ahsoka learned a lot about Janko's political views and found herself agreeing with many of its ideals. At last, the Falcon jumped out of hyperspace. The yellow world of Mandalore loomed ahead as Ahsoka headed for the domed city of Sundari. After a brief conversation with air traffic control, the Millenium Falcon landed in the hangar. There were signs of fighting around the area, which intrigued Ahsoka.

"Janko, do you know how to use a sword?" Ahsoka asked.

"More or less."

Ahsoka unclipped her shoto and gave it to Janko.

"There might be fighting involved, so you need a way to defend yourself." She said. Growing more serious, she added.

"Don't lose it. I trust you with my life."

Janko nodded and tucked the shoto in his jacket. He and Ahsoka walked out of the hangar, where Bo Katan and several of her associates waited.

"Thank you for coming on such a short notice." Bo Katan said. "We did not want the Jedi Council or the Republic to interfere, so we were left to contact you."

"You are taking a huge risk. I might not be able to defeat Maul." Ahsoka said.

"We know. I hope our gamble pays off. Two days ago, Prime Minister Almec was murdered by Maul and now Mandalore is left without a leader. Until Maul is dead, no one will be able to take power." The Mandalorian woman said. "Who's your friend there? He's hot."

Ahsoka giggled while Janko shifted around nervously.

"I'm Janko Šerić." He said before Ahsoka could answer. "I'm her companion."

"In what way?" Bo said suggestively.

"Nothing romantic in anyway." Ahsoka said a little quickly. "We are just friends."

"Besides, we've only know each other for less than a week." Janko added.

"You are still hot though." Bo replied, eying the man hungrily. "We should hook up sometime."

"The delusions of a dreamer. We have to partake in some pest control first before I can consider having my way with you." Janko said.

"The sarcasm of a soldier." Bo said, slightly impressed. "I haven't heard such words since my late sister's boy toy visited a few weeks ago."

"It's either develop a sense of humor or go mad." Janko replied. "I'd rather not go mad."

"We'd be mad if we allow Maul to kill any more people." Ahsoka said, wanting to get going. "Let's go before he does."

"Right. Maul was last seen recently near the police station not far from here." Bo said, getting serious. "Take a speeder. It'll get you there easier."

"Thanks." Ahsoka said. She and Janko stepped into one and flew off. As they approached the police station, Janko felt the increasing coldness of the Dark Side of the Force. When they arrived, there were lightsaber marks and dead bodies everywhere. Ahsoka felt one of the bodies for heat. It was warm.

"He's here." Ahsoka stated, unclipping her lightsaber from her belt. "Stay here. You are no match for Maul."

"And you are?" Janko asked, extremely worried.

"I'm more qualified to duel with a lightsaber than you." Ahsoka said.

"Fair enough."

Ahsoka went inside the ruined police station. Janko hung back a safe distance as he also went inside. Silence hung in the air like a thick fog. Ahsoka entered the main control room, Janko peeking from the corridor.

"So… The Mandalorians finally found someone to kill me. A pathetic 17 year old failed Jedi Padawan." A voice said softly. "Getting rid of you will be easy."

Ahsoka only smirked. Overconfidence was still a large part of Maul's persona. The Zabrak male stepped out of the shadows, his lightsaber and the Darksaber in hand.

"Let's dance, then." Ahsoka said calmly, activating her lightsaber. Maul activated his weapons and the pair began a vicious duel. The former Padawan immediately began giving ground, letting the Force guide her lightsaber as she led Maul outside. Janko, seeing the duel moving to him, left the building and crouched behind a crate on the platform. A minute passed when the duel finally came out in the open. Janko then noticed members of Death Watch were approaching the platform. Ahsoka, despite holding off Maul's attacks for a minute and a half, did not have Anakin's or Obi-wan's skill with a ligtsaber and she knew it. One mistake later, Ahsoka found both of her arms severed at the elbows, eliciting a gasp. Maul then kicked her onto the speeder.

"Well, well, well. You thought you could defeat me." Maul growled. By now, the Mandalorians had landed on the platform and surrounded the three Force-sensitives.

"This is what happens if you try to cross me." Maul sneered at the Mandalorians. "You will get disarmed before I grant you a quick death."

'I trust you with my life.'

Janko recalled the words that echoed inside his head and suddenly felt a wave of emotion crash over him as he realized Maul's next move. He realized how much more important Ahsoka was to him than he knew, and how many ways she was important to him. He can't let Ahsoka die. She trusted him with her life and he did the same. She was the first person he met in this new and strange place. She was his guide to the galaxy and his teacher in the ways of the Force and his student in the idea of communism. She was his comrade! Comrades stick together! Ahsoka was his everything. His past, his present, and his future. He knew what he must do.

As Maul raised the Darksaber to deliver the killing blow, Janko remembered the shoto hidden in his jacket.

"NOO!" He shouted as he lunged forward with the shoto in hand, activating it. Before anyone could react, Janko slashed across Maul's back, cutting deeply into the Zabrak's body. Maul screamed in pain before Janko swung the shoto to the right, beheading the former Sith Lord. The Darksaber and lightsaber deactivated as they and Maul's body hit the floor. The Mandalorians let out a collective sigh of relief. Bo Katan approached Janko and Ahsoka with a smile on her lips.

"Thank you Janko." She said. "You saved many lives."

Janko looked at Bo with distraught as Ahsoka passed out on the speeder.

"Someone get me a medic!"

-o0o-

Ahsoka finally came to, finding herself in a hospital. Janko was at her bedside, smiling weakly.

"You were right to trust me." Janko said. "You almost died."

Ahsoka put a hand to her throbbing head for a split second before withdrawing it in surprise. Both of her forearms are now prosthetics, just like her former master's right arm.

"Imagine my surprise when I found out that lost limbs can easily be replaced, unlike my homeworld." Janko said with a laugh. "Bo Katan and the rest of the Mandalorians were grateful of Maul's death, so they ordered a pair of prosthetic arms for you made out of some metal they call beskar or something like that."

Janko's last sentence took Ahsoka by surprise.

"Mandarlorian Iron." She murmured. "My new arms are made of Mandalorian Iron."

Janko tilted his head in confusion.

"Mandalorian iron is one of the very few lightsaber-resistant substances found in the galaxy." Ahsoka explained. "Lightsabers can't cut through substances like that. By the way, where are my lightsabers?"

"Look at your bedside table." Janko said. Ahsoka looked and saw her lightsaber and shoto were there.

"The Mandalorians have also made me their leader." Janko continued, almost as an afterthought.

"Really?" Ahsoka asked.

"Yeah. Maul took over after killing the last leader, so by me killing Maul, I am now the new leader of Mandalore." Janko said. "The thing is, I know almost nothing about Mandalore except that they can fly and fight. I do know how to lead. I've done it many times with my comrades back on Earth."

"I think you will do great. The only thing we need to work on is educating you about how the galaxy works, how to use the Force, and how to fight with a lightsaber." Ahsoka replied, sitting up. "Have the healers released me yet?"

"They have. They want you to take it easy for the next few days to recover and to get used to metal hands." Janko answered. "Bo Katan gave this to me as well."

Janko held up the hilt of the Darksaber. Ahsoka, getting up and clipping her lightsabers to her belt, gave a look that was a mix of surprise and pride.

"That's the Darksaber." Ahsoka said. "The Mandalorian leaders carried this for thousands of years."

Janko gave a grunt of interest before heading to the exit, Ahsoka in tow. Bo Katan was outside, waiting for the pair to come out.

"Thank you once again for destroying this menace." She said. "Your orders?"

Janko was silent for a bit, unsure of how to proceed.

"Yes." He said. "First, begin conscripting men between ages 18-40 and build up the army. With the Clone Wars going on outside the system, I do not want this planet virtually undefended. Second, I require you to distribute this book to the population. I have a copy on our ship."

Bo Katan nodded and followed Janko and Ahsoka to the Millenium Falcon. Ahsoka went inside and took out the datapad. Bo Katan also had a datapad in hand and the Communist Manifesto was copied over.

"Bo, before I can begin properly ruling Mandalore, I must gather information about the outside galaxy. I am leaving you in charge until I return." Janko said.

"Yes, sir." Bo said before leaving, blowing a kiss to Janko's direction. Ahsoka and Janko entered the Falcon's cockpit prepared for departure. After several minutes, the Falcon was off planet and preparing to jump into hyperspace.

"So where are we off to?" Janko asked.

"We are going to Takodana." Ashoka said. "This is a good planet to begin your training. It has not been affected by the war, its terrain is ideal for the type of training we will partake in, and the weather is temperate year round."

"An excellent choice." Janko remarked, looking back to how Yugoslavia was like. Ahsoka punched in the coordinates and the Falcon jumped into hyperspace.

-o0o-

Darth Sidious had been in a conversation with Count Dooku when he felt Maul's death in the Force. He stopped talking and smiled.

"Master?" Dooku said. "Is everything alright?"

"Everything is splendid, my apprentice." Sidious replied. "A small inconvenience has just been solved by itself."

"That's good to hear, Master." Dooku stated eloquently. "The 13th Battlegroup is on its way to strengthen our frontlines in the Outer Rim."

"Good." Sidious said. "Proceed as usual."

"Yes Master."

The hologram flickered out, leaving the Sith Master to reflect on previous events. Things were going according to plan.

TBC…


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three

For the next day and a half, Janko sat at the dejarik table with Ahsoka’s datapad, drawing flags and writing names. If he is going to form an interplanetary communist government, then he needed a name and a flag to go with it. So far, he felt like nothing was springing out to him. Ahsoka then walked in, practicing her hand movements by moving each of her fingers. She sat by Janko, who decided to give up for now.

“Can’t decide on names?” Ahsoka asked.

“Yeah. I have a lot on my mind right now.” Janko said. “I should finish this later.”

“I think it’s a good time to meditate now. We still have a day left til we arrive.” Ahsoka said. “The first step to gaining control of the Force is through the self-discipline of meditation.”

“Hmm, maybe that would work.” Janko said thoughtfully. “So how do I do it?”

Ahsoka sat down on the floor and closed her eyes.

“Close your eyes and let the Force flow through you. It will feel like a gentle stream.” Ahsoka continued. Janko followed Ahsoka’s instructions and tried to clear his mind. He found it difficult to do so, but after several minutes, he was successful.

‘Wow, I did it.’ He thought. The flow of the Force felt nice, despite the fact he wasn’t physically touching it.

After an hour or so, both Ahsoka and Janko were done. Janko felt more focused about his task after his first meditation session. Going back to the datapad with a clear solution to his problem, Janko quickly scrawled a name.

“I’ve got it.” He exclaimed. “The Soviet Union of Planetary Republics. That is the new name for our new interplanetary government. And the red banner will be the flag.”

Janko created a simple design, consisting of entirely red rectangle with a white outline of a five pointed star on the top left.

“I like the flag. Simple and striking.” Ahsoka said.

“It’s good for propaganda.” Janko replied. Ahsoka looked at Janko’s writing and frowned.

“Your writing is in a different script. Do you know the standard galactic alphabet?” Ahsoka said.

“No.”

“It’s time to learn it. It wouldn’t do for our leader to be illiterate in Basic.” Ahsoka replied. “Paperwork is a constant here too.”

“Damn. I forgot about that.” Janko grumbled. “Let’s get to it.”

“Galactic standard has twenty eight letters for you to learn.” Ahsoka said. “Now the first letter is aurebesh…”

-o0o-

The rest of their time on board, when not eating, sleeping, using the refresher, or the occasional check at the cockpit, was spent on Janko’s galactic education. By the time the Falcon arrived to the Takodana system, Janko got a grasp on the “new” alphabet, but not complete mastery. Ahsoka flew to the planet’s surface and landed in a clearing near an ancient castle. She and Janko went into said castle, where they discovered it was a cantina. They sat at an empty table and began to discuss.

“So what is our schedule?” Janko asked.

“This is how it will work. Every day, we will practice in the Force every morning, lightsaber practice in the afternoon, and once it gets dark, I will tell you about the dos and don’ts of the galaxy as well as some history.” Ahsoka explained. “This planet is peaceful and teeming with life, which helps with your connection with the Force. If something happens that should require us to leave the planet, then training will continue on Mandalore and the ship.”

“Good. But now, we must eat.” Janko said. “What kind of food does the galaxy offer?”

“I serve many things here.” A short humanoid elderly lady said. “The name’s Maz Katana. Welcome to my bar. What would you like?”

“One raw steak.” Ahsoka said. 

“Surprise me.” Janko said. “I don’t know a thing about foods.”

Maz smiled and went away. After a short while, she returned with the steak for Ahsoka and a dish resembling fish to Janko.

“What brings you here to Takodana, Ahsoka Tano and Janko Šerić?” Maz asked, taking a stool to sit.

“How do you know my name?” Jank asked as Ahsoka tore into the steak. Maz smiled.

“There are a great many things I know, including the Force. I have lived over 950 years and still going strong. It’s not hard to learn perception.” Maz said. “I sense great things from you. Don’t disappoint me.”

Ahsoka swallowed a piece of meat to speak.

“Since you know of the Force longer than I have, is there any possibility of you training Janko to use the Force?” Ahsoka asked. “Experience is everything.”

“Sadly, I cannot. The Dark Times are near and I have a business to run.” Maz said. “However, I do have something that can help. Follow me.”

Maz wandered to the basement, Ahsoka and Janko in tow. They walked through the dark corridor until Maz turned right and opened a door to a storage room. Up on the highest shelf on the bookcase was a blue holocron. Maz brought it down and gave it to Janko.

“This is the holocron of Fae Coven, one of the Jedi’s Grand Masters before Yoda. She will teach you much about the Force.” Maz said.

“How did you get this?” Ahsoka asked. Maz looked away wistfully.

“Me and Fae used to be good friends. She always tried to convince me to join the Order, but I did not want to. We were close, but unfortunately, Fae was not blessed with the gift of longevity like I was. Around 800 years   
or so ago, she died in her sleep, leaving me the holocron instead of keeping it in the Jedi Temple.” Maz said. “What I wouldn’t give to see her again…”

Janko and Ahsoka sat there in awe.

“You are like a walking history book. That’s so cool!” Ahsoka said.

“I haven’t heard of beings living over 200 years, much less 950.” Janko said. “Anyway, thank you for the meal. It was delicious.”

“You are welcome. Now go train. You have a long road ahead of you.” Maz insisted. Janko nodded and he and Ahsoka left Maz’s temple with the holocron.

-o0o-

A month has passed since then, and Janko’s skills have improved nicely with the help of Ahsoka and Fae Coven’s holocron. Janko also learned more about the galaxy and was disgusted at how the Republic and Separatists were governed. Ahsoka, impressed with his eidetic memory and his ability to learn quickly, reckoned that he will be her equal with another two months of training.

Janko took an interest of the Unknown Regions after seeing how unexplored it was. Ilum was there and Janko was hopeful that there were more resource rich worlds that were awaiting to be found.

“This area has so much potential.” Janko commented. “It is very likely to build a great power by taking control of this region. We should explore it.”

“What about Mandalore? We can’t abandon the planet.” Ahsoka said.

“We won’t abandon them. They will help us build the galaxy’s first communist state.” Janko said. “Now let’s go. I want to find some of these planets to settle.”

“Where will we go?” Ahsoka asked. “We don’t know how many star systems are out there, much less the habitable ones.”

“I’ll choose an area at random.” Janko said. Taking a quick look at the star map, Janko closed his eyes and pointed his finger randomly. The system he pointed to was deep in the Unknown Regions, around 2,000 parsecs away from the closest Chiss planet. Ahsoka wrote down the coordinates to the system.

“Ahsoka, when we aren’t training, I’m going to be meditating.” Janko said. “I might need to listen to the Force for guidance from time to time.”

“That’s fine. Let’s go. We have a ten day trip ahead of us.” Ahsoka replied. Janko nodded and both human and Togruta entered the Millenium Falcon and left Takodana for the unknown system.

-o0o-

A week later…

Darth Sidious was ready to put his plan into motion. He contacted Dooku and General Grievous to inform them of his will.

“Lord Tyranus, General Grievous. The time has come.” Sidous said. “Begin the invasion.”

“Yes, Lord Sidious.” General Grievous replied. The Separatist fleet, consisting of thousands of ships, jumped into hyperspace, destination Coruscant.

-o0o-

Finally, the Falcon reverted to sublight speed once it reached the unknown star system. It was a small one, with only two gas giants and no other planets. The first gas giant orbited extremely close to its blue star, close enough for Janko and Ahsoka to see it move around the star with the naked eye. It glowed an angry mixture of red and black and any moon that might have been there are nonexistent anymore. The other gas giant was at a more reasonable distance from the star. It orbited in the habitable zone and held 19 moons, six of them habitable. The habitable moons of the deep blue gas giant did not have signs of intelligent life, but did have plants visible from space.

“A small system. That makes defending it easier.” Ahsoka said. “The blue gas giant might be filled with Tibanna gas and the moons might have resources.”

“That’s encouraging.” Janko said. “Wait, what’s that?”

Above the blue star, there was a black shape floating above, rotating very slowly. Ahsoka looked bewildered as well. She flew the Corellian freighter to the object. As it got close, Ahsoka realized what it was and gasped in surprise.

“That’s impossible.” She muttered, awe in her voice.

“What is it?” Janko asked worriedly.

“The Star Forge. It’s an enormous shipyard space station capable of constructing warships in an extremely short amount of time without defect. A relic from a more uncivilized age.” Ahsoka said. Janko looked surprised at that, considering his exposure to figures like Alexey Stakhanov.

“The impossible thing is,” Ahsoka continued. “was that it was supposed to be destroyed over three thousand years ago.”

TBC…


End file.
